The design of this proposal for sheltered housing for the elderly heavily references historic alms-house history, but employs a wholly contemporary idiom to create residential units arranged around a sensory garden.

Client The Dulwich Estate

Location London, UK

Status Competition

Jestico + Whiles proposed a scheme of new sheltered housing for the elderly for the Dulwich Alms Houses invited competition.

A total of 23 self-contained residential units arranged around a sensory garden was proposed to the centre of the main landscaped external space. Additional self-contained units were also proposed within the adjacent existing house, which was proposed to be refurbished.

The scheme design heavily references historic alms-houses, where a simple language of wall, pitched roof, dormer windows and chimney are typically expressed around a communal courtyard space, giving access onto individual houses. In historic alms-house design it is often these chimneys in particular that give such developments their striking appearance and character.

Our design proposal looked to follow in this tradition but in a contemporary way, making a feature of these vertical elements, which were proposed here as natural ventilation chimneys to assist with passive ventilation to dwellings.